Our niche area of research is societal adaptation—more specifically, understanding the social dimensions of regional environmental change. Our disciplinary focus is on the social sciences (e.g. geography and cultural studies). Through this focus, we make contributions to knowledge in the areas of:
While our work encompasses a range of disciplines and undertakes transdisciplinary research, our core focus is aligned with social, behavioural, and economic sciences. Our focus areas can be applied to a range of sustainability issues addressing real on-the-ground concerns of society and the environment.
Current Key Projects
Building community resilience to coastal hazards in Australia
Natural disasters are expected to cost Australia $1.2 trillion over the next forty years. Everyone has a role to play in responding to natural hazards, but local citizens are provided with limited practical support to truly build their resilience. This project will redress the current lack of pragmatic strategies to build coastal community resilience by working with the non-government organisations, state and local government agencies and community members across 4 Australian states.
Contact: Carmen Elrick-Barr
Email: CElrick@usc.edu.au
Traditional and local knowledge in the Pacific Islands for climate-change adaptation
Small remote Pacific Islands have been populated for more than 3000 years, during which time they experienced climate-driven environmental changes. Those challenges to survival have led to place-based coping strategies remembered through traditional knowledge. With today’s globalized worldviews, most adaptation strategies for climate-changed futures are founded on science-based understandings that undervalue traditional ways. This study seeks to demonstrate that the Pacific Islands’ traditional knowledge for coping with climate change has value, because of its place-based nature, and effective precedents in implementation.
Contact: Patrick Nunn
Email: PNunn@usc.edu.au
Effective forest health and biosecurity networks in SE Asia
This ACIAR funded project establishes a forest health and biosecurity network to improve risk management for invasive pests within Southeast Asia. The participatory research with smallholder growers seeks to understand better forest biosecurity surveillance and reporting practices in the region. It also includes community-based, gender-focused research to build a Women in Forestry Biosecurity Network for a more inclusive forest health system.
Contact: Harriot Beazley
Email: HBeazley@usc.edu.au
Keeping the History Alive
In partnership with Khairun University in Indonesia, this project captures the imagination of local and provincial stakeholders on how colonial history can be presented and give meaning to the extant remains of heritage sites that are part of the North Maluku Spice Islands’ history. The most recent phase of the research project is focussed on young people’s perceptions and connections to Ternate’s colonial cultural heritage concerning advancing sustainable livelihoods and community-based tourism.
Contact: Harriot Beazley
Email: HBeazley@usc.edu.au
Natural hazards on ecosystem services of the Sundarbans
The Sundarbans area is the world’s largest mangrove forest shared between India and Bangladesh supporting 7.2 million people. This research takes an integrated approach to protecting the ecosystem from natural hazards such as wildfires, storms, erosion, net area loss, and pollution while reconciling forest conservation with livelihood improvement and poverty alleviation. This study will map hazard-vulnerable zones using geospatial techniques and earth observation data to investigate the dynamics of forest dependency by local communities. The study proposes a ranking system for the valuation of provisioning forest-related services such as timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The aim is to develop a framework for preventive management strategies, based on locally available natural resources and activities of local inhabitants.
Contact: Sanjeev Srivastava
Email: SSrivast@usc.edu.au
Recently Vanished Islands of Micronesia
Previously a couple of kilometres off the south coast of Pohnpei Island in Micronesia, Nahlapenlohd Island was so large it supported sizeable coconut forests and in 1850 a substantial battle with cannons and muskets. The oral histories tell that so much blood was spilled there that it was stripped of its vegetation and eventually disappeared. Considering what we know today, the more plausible cause is net sea-level rise has affected the western Pacific since the early nineteenth century. Accelerating significantly within the past few decades other Pacific Islands have been noted as having reduced in size or disappeared. The stories of these vanished islands and some that fortuitously evolved to outlive their neighbours offer significance for understanding resilience to climate change.
Contact: Patrick Nunn
Email: PNunn@usc.edu.au
In Anticipation of Extirpation
Over the next few decades, climate change will likely result in ocean level rise and the involuntary displacement of millions of people. This project focuses on how humans respond to a threatened future. Evidence suggests that many of us perceive a challenge like sea-level rise through two distinct lenses - tangibly and intangibly. On the one hand, we perceive it as an environmental issue that is best tackled through pragmatic solutions. On the other hand, it is an intangible challenge to our current way of life with less visible responses or a ‘hope’ that things don’t occur. This is apparent with many Pacific Islands’ coastal community leaders believing equally in the power of prayer and the power of engineered material interventions. This research explores this ‘flexible attribution’ with a cross-discipline perspective of psychologists and geographers.
Contact: Patrick Nunn
Email: PNunn@usc.edu.au
Urban Microclimates
Urban Heat Islands (UHI) are formed when urbanised areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding built areas, largely due to built environment materials' properties, capacity to infiltrate water, and the loss of natural vegetation. The BASC Lab (Bioclimatic and Sociotechnical Cities Lab) focuses on climate-responsive urban design and planning to improve urban microclimates and help mitigate the UHI effect. Climate-responsive strategies can lessen the impacts of climate change and reduce undesirable heat-related health outcomes. This is achieved by collaborating with several government and industry partners to identify efficient climate-responsive urban design and planning interventions that improve place-based climate performance. In addition, to ensure that future urban areas integrate climate-responsive strategies to mitigate heat-related risks adequately, the BASC Lab aims to provide government, policymakers, and urban design and planning practitioners with a pathway into the complexity of the challenges facing urban environments.
Contact: Dr Silvia Tavares
BASC Lab: https://www.usc.edu.au/about/structure/schools/school-of-law-and-society/basc-lab
Completed projects
Project name | Funder/Partner | Contact | |
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Coastal governance embracing vulnerability and change | Australian Research Council Future Fellowship | Prof Tim Smith tsmith5@usc.edu.au |
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Institutional arrangements for disaster management | Uppsala, USC and SCC |
Prof Tim Smith |
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MISTRA Environmental Communication Project: Knowledge co-production for sustainability transformations |
USC, Green Collar Australia, MiljöMatematik Malmö AB, Organic Farmers’ Association in Uppland (Uppodlarna), Hanoi Innovative Learning Lab, The Swedish Forest Agency, The Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF) |
Prof Neil Powell & Dr Marcus Bussey |
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Hillfort mapping and understanding in Fiji | New Colombo Plan (DFAT) |
Prof Patrick Nunn pnunn@usc.edu.au |
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Crises environnementales et traditions locales: regards croisés sociétés antiques / sociétés de l’Océan Pacifique | Région Pays de la Loire; partners USC and Université du Maine |
Prof Patrick Nunn pnunn@usc.edu.au |
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Pacific personalities: how well do Pacific Island people fit the “Big Five” personality types, and why is it important? | USC |
Prof Patrick Nunn pnunn@usc.edu.au |
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Risk and resilience in the Pacific: influence of peripherality on exposure and responses to global change | Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research |
Prof Patrick Nunn pnunn@usc.edu.au |
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Optimising community-based climate change adaptation in the Pacific Islands | Australian Research Council | ||
Comparing small Island states and subnational island jurisdictions: Towards sustainable island futures | Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada |
Prof Patrick Nunn |
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Integrating protected cropping systems into high value vegetable value chains in the Pacific and Australia | ACIAR, and led by Central Queensland University | A/Prof Jennifer Carter jcarter@usc.edu.au |
Research team | Project | Funding body |
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A/Prof Bill Carter, A/Prof Neil Tindale, Dr Harriot Beazley, Luong Thanh Hai, S Thok and Suchai Worachananant |
Coral reef and water quality status and community understanding of threats in the eastern Gulf of Thailand | Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research |
A/Prof Jennifer Carter, Dr John Moxon, Dr Maria Raciti, Colin Blunt, Ioan Viji, Kim Jones and Prof Helen Wallace | Developing markets and products for the Pacific Island and Papua New Guinea Canarium nut industry | National Agricultural Research Institute |
A/Prof Jennifer Carter and Prof Helen Wallace | Value chain analysis of forestry activities in the Pacific | Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research |
A/Prof Jennifer Carter and Prof Steven Underhill | Developing an integrated participatory guarantee scheme in the Pacific Islands in support of sustainable production of high-value vegetable crops | Pacific Agribusiness Research for Development Initiative Research Activity |
A/Prof Neil Powell and Prof Timothy Smith | Climate change and adaptive water governance (CADWAGO) | Stockholm Environment Institute |
A/Prof Bill Carter | Water and reef quality and human perceptions | Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research and US National Science Foundation |
Prof Tim Smith | National Climate Change Adaptation Research Network in Marine Biodiversity and Resources- ARN-MBR-Research Association | National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility |
Prof Tim Smith | Coastal Collaboration Cluster | CSIRO Collaboration Fund |
Dr Tristan Pearce | Inuit traditional knowledge for adapting to the health impacts of climate change (IK-ADAPT) | Canadian Institute of Health Research |
A/Prof Neil Powell and Dr Pedro Fidelman | Supporting governance institutions for adaptive capacity to environmental change | Asia Pacific Network for Global Change |
A/Prof Claudia Baldwin | Social Licence to Fish | Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) |
A/Prof Claudia Baldwin | Noosa Rural Hinterland Enterprise Research | Country Noosa Inc via Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation |
A/Prof Claudia Baldwin | Co-housing for Seniors in Maleny | Maleny Neighbourhood Centre via Qld Age-friendly Community Grant |
Prof Bill Carter, Dr Marcus Bussey, Dr Scott Lieske, Troy Street and Dr Noni Keys | Interpreting the landscape-human dynamic in Maleny, Sunshine Coast | Sunshine Coast Regional Council |
A/Prof Jennifer Carter, Bo Carne, Jon Altman and Ann Fleming | Identifying the key social and economic factors for successful engagement in aquaculture ventures by Indigenous communities | Fisheries Research and Development Corporation |
A/Prof Scott Baum, Dr Kathy Arthurson and Prof Timothy Smith | Climate change and extreme events: developing a typology of coastal settlement vulnerability to aid adaptation strategies | Griffith University |
Dr Anne Roiko | Reclaimed water is viewed as an acceptable alternative water for augmenting drinking water supplies | Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence |
Dr Anne Roiko and Emily Rames | Regional and remote water security: treatment, tools and training |
University of the Sunshine Coast Griffith University |
A/Prof Claudia Baldwin and Dr Caroline Osborne |
Seniors perceptions of accommodation models |
Church of Christ Care |
Dr Christine Jacobson |
Cultural resilience and customary fisheries |
Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai |
A/Prof Dana Thomsen |
Sustainability Indicators |
Sunshine Coast Regional Council |
Prof Neil Powell and Prof Timothy Smith | Climate change adaptation for natural resource management in East Coast Australia | Natural Resource Management Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Research Grants Program |
Dr Lila Singh-Peterson, Prof Bill Carter and Prof Geoffrey Lawrence | Building resilience by empowering communities: addressing the vulnerability of food supply chains following extreme weather events | Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal |
Head Researcher | Project | Funding body |
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Prof Tim Smith | Climate change adaptation in South East Queensland | CSIRO Collaboration Fund |
Prof Bill Carter | Traveston Crossing Dam research partnership: a blueprint for developmental and operational arrangements for integrated public contact and education | Queensland Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd |
Prof Bill Carter | Ecological colonisation and habitat values and public outreach relating to the ex-HMAS Brisbane | Environmental Protection Agency |
Prof Bill Carter | Indigenous attachment, engagement and protocol in natural and cultural heritage management | Burnett Mary Regional Group |
Prof Bill Carter | Systems approach to regional climate change adaptation strategies in metropolises | The Department of Environment and Heritage, through CSIRO |
A/Professor Julie Matthews | Rethinking reconciliation and pedagogy in unsettling times | Australian Research Council |
Prof Tim Smith | Adaptive capacity synthesis project | The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility |
Prof Tim Smith | Sustainability and corporate plan indicators for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC) | Sunshine Coast Regional Council |
Prof Tim Smith | Climate change adaptation in South East Queensland | CSIRO Collaboration Fund |
Prof Bill Carter | Traveston Crossing Dam research partnership: a blueprint for developmental and operational arrangements for integrated public contact and education | Queensland Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd |
Prof Bill Carter | Ecological colonisation and habitat values and public outreach relating to the ex-HMAS Brisbane | Environmental Protection Agency |
Prof Bill Carter | Indigenous attachment, engagement and protocol in natural and cultural heritage management | Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management |
Prof Tim Smith | Systems approach to regional climate change adaptation strategies in metropolises | The Department of Environment and Heritage, through CSIRO |
A/Prof Julie Matthews | Rethinking reconciliation and pedagogy in unsettling times | Australian Research Council |
Prof Tim Smith | Adaptive capacity synthesis project | NCCARF |
Prof Tim Smith | Sustainability and corporate plan indicators for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC) | Sunshine Coast Regional Council |
Prof Tim Smith |
Ecosystem-based adaptation decision support framework | United Nations Environment Programme |
Prof Neil Powell Npowell@usc.edu.au |
Climate change and adaptive water governance – CADWAGO | Stockholm Environment Institute |
A/Prof Claudia Baldwin |
Creative models of accommodation for older Australians in infill development | ULDA, Diecke Richards, Churches of Christ Care, SCC |
A/Prof Jennifer Carter Jcarter@usc.edu.au |
Processing of Canarium indicium nuts: adapting and refining techniques to benefit farmers in the South Pacific | ACIAR |
A/Prof Dana Thomsen dthomsen@usc.edu.au |
Sustainability indicators | Sunshine Coast Regional Council |
Prof Tim Smith Tsmith5@usc.edu.au |
National Climate Change Adaptation Research Network (NCCARF) - Research Association | NCCARF (Department of Environment and Energy) |